Love Deeper Than Skin
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Ghostfreak sheds his outer skin to stop an enemy and he's afraid his wife-to-be and daughter will be frightened by his true appearance. Can they, especially Amanda, prove otherwise? A belated Birthday story for DarthJacob1. :)


**A belated birthday story for DarthJacob1. Here you go, Amigo! :) Happy belated Birthday! :) **

**Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. I only own Rachel, Amanda, Phantasmo, and Mimi.**

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**Love Deeper Than Skin**

It was supposed to be a quiet day at the Mansion where everyone could spend time with family, which is what Ghostfreak had been wanting to do. Spend time with his fiancée, Amanda, and their sweet little girl, Mimi.

But when he got a call on his Plumber's badge, he couldn't ignore it.

Inspector 13 had returned and to everyone's shock, he had Sevenseven as his captive.

Now, Ben had dealt with the bounty hunter before and felt he and his siblings, except for Twotwo, were a nuisance, but not even he would wish Inspector 13 on anyone.

The bounty hunter looked like he had been beat up pretty badly and Inspector 13 gloated about how Rachel liked to take in aliens that were hurt. He even went so far as to offer her a position as his assistant.

"Dream on, creep!" Rachel said angrily, pulling out her Proto-Tool.

"How dare you!" Ghostfreak hissed, his claws becoming sharper as he was glad his father, Phantasmo, was keeping Amanda and Mimi safe while he, Rachel, and Ben were fighting the weapons master.

The hero turned into Upgrade and winced. "Never thought I'd have to save this guy," he admitted.

"I know what you mean," Rachel said.

Ghostfreak snarled as he nearly got blasted by one of Inspector 13's machines, but it clipped his side and a ripping sound happened that sounded like something tearing and Rachel and Ben turned to find some of Ghostfreak's skin hanging loose and looking jagged, like he had just taken a swipe from some claws to his side.

"Ghostfreak!" Both of them cried out in alarm.

Something seem to come over their friend and they suddenly heard more of a ripping sound and before their eyes, the Ectonurite had torn away his protective skin and his true form stood before them all.

A torn purple body-hugging shroud with black lines, a black and white striped tail, long sharp claws, and an upside down skull with what looked like a white closed eye socket and a black patch over his good eye is what Ghostfreak looked like now. Rachel shuddered a bit as she now realized that Zs'Skayr's form was an Ectonurite's true form.

Ben shivered as he recalled facing Zs'Skayr like that years ago and how much it had terrified him. Sevenseven whimpered at seeing Ghostfreak's real form. One would think a bounty hunter wouldn't be startled by such a thing, but after the beating he had just gone though from Inspector 13, who could blame him?

Ghostfreak snarled again and attacked the weapons master, forcing Rachel and Ben to look away as it was a bit frightening. "I didn't realize how fierce Ghostfreak could really get," Rachel said as she went back to trying to free Sevenseven.

Ben nodded, helping her and they got the bounty hunter free. "You got any of Frankenstrike's formulas on hand for healing? Or maybe some of Wildvine's special salve?" He asked her.

Nodding, she pulled out a vial of purple liquid. "Can you get his helmet open?" She asked.

Doing so, Ben gently forced Sevenseven to open his mouth, though the alien was in no position to resist as he was pretty much limp from the beating he took. Rachel gently forced him to drink the healing formula. "It's not going to taste great, but it should help," she said.

The bounty hunter groaned in response and they gently set him down, activating his teleporter to get him to safety. "Think he'll leave us alone now that we helped him?" Ben asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," the older woman responded before they turned to find Ghostfreak standing over the beaten form of Inspector 13. Ben suddenly realized something.

"Wait, Ghostfreak could burn up in that form!" He exclaimed, remembering when that happened when he was younger.

Rachel glanced up and saw the sun was covered by the clouds, but the clouds were slowly fading. "We better get back to the Mansion," she said. "Can you call your grandpa to have someone pick up the trash?"

"On it."

While Ben made the call, Rachel approached the alien she considered her brother, who turned to her. She flinched when she saw his real form up close. Ghostfreak saw that his real form was a bit frightening to her. "I'm sorry, Rachel," he said. "I hoped you would never see me like this."

"You did what you had to do, bro," she said. "But we better get the Mansion quick."

Something told her that the protective skin Ectonurites had wouldn't automatically return, but would take time to come back. Her hunch proved right when Ghostfreak looked up at the sky and gasped. "My protective skin won't start to regenerate for a few hours," he said.

Thinking fast, she slipped off her coat and gave it to him. "Here, use this then until we get to the Mansion," she said.

Grateful for her kindness, he used the coat as a shield and he flew for the Mansion with Rachel and Ben running close behind seconds after the Plumbers arrived to take Inspector 13 into custody.

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Rachel opened the door of the Mansion and they entered it just in time. Ghostfreak sighed in relief, but didn't look happy. "Well, guess I'll just have to stay inside for a bit," he said before gasping. "Amanda. Mimi. They mustn't see me like this. It'll terrify them."

"Ghostfreak?" "Daddy?"

Hearing his fiancée and his daughter calling to him, the Ectonurite panicked and went intangible and invisible, flying away just as the two came into the foyer where Rachel and Ben were. "Aunty Rachel. Uncle Ben, where's Daddy?" Mimi asked, her dark eyes looking around.

Ben thought fast. "He got a little injured in battle and is cleaning up a bit, kiddo," he said with a smile. "Your dad saved both your aunt and I from Inspector 13."

Phantasmo, who had just entered the room, gasped in shock. "That monster?" He asked in horror. "He didn't hurt you two, did he?"

"No," Rachel said. "But he beat up Sevenseven pretty badly."

"Who's Sevenseven?" Amanda asked.

"A bounty hunter," Ben replied. "We helped him out, but whatever Inspector 13 put him through really wore him out. He couldn't even stand up on his own."

"Ben's right," Rachel said with a nod.

Amanda felt worry fill her and she went to find her husband-to-be. "Ghostfreak?" She called out. "Where are you, hon?"

Ghostfreak panicked and hid. "I'm around, my love," he called out.

Phantasmo grew curious and noticed Rachel and Ben were looking at each other in worry. "What happened?" He asked them.

Ben took a deep breath. "Ghostfreak had to shed his outer skin to defeat Inspector 13," he said in a low voice.

"He doesn't want Amanda and Mimi to see as he's worried it'll scare them," Rachel explained in a low voice.

"Ah," the older Ectonurite said knowingly. "He's going to shy away from everyone until his outer skin returns."

Meanwhile, Amanda had surprised Ghostfreak by finding him and he turned away, moving quickly to hide from her. "Amanda," he said. "Don't look at me. This form will terrify you."

She heard the pleading in his voice and she looked at him. "Hon, what happened?" She asked. "Did you get hurt?"

"A little," he admitted. "But...I had to shed my outer skin to stop the enemy."

She drew closer and he shied back, but she continued coming towards him. "Ghostfreak, please let me see," she said.

"Amanda, I can't," he protested lightly. "It'll frighten you."

But that didn't deter her in the least and she drew closer. "Ghostfreak?" She said softly.

Sighing, he stood still and let her see his true form.

Amanda looked at him and saw why he didn't want to show her. It looked very close to Zs'Skayr's appearance, but she didn't run. Instead, she smiled. "You know, the hallucinations I suffered when you all were trying to get the drugs out of my system to save me back then were worse than what I see before me," she said.

He recalled that time and she went up to him. "Hon, I don't mind your real form because it's part of you, the guy I fell in love with and the guy who loves me and tells me everyday that he loves me."

Ghostfreak looked at her in surprise. "You really don't mind?" He asked in surprise.

She smiled. "No, I don't mind," she said before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Daddy?" They heard and saw Mimi standing in the doorway with Rachel and Phantasmo behind her and the little girl walked up to her father, looking at him. "Is...Is it still you, Daddy?"

He floated down to her height and smiled. "Yes, sweetheart. It's me," he said soothingly. "This is my real form, which is often hidden by my outer skin."

"How long will it take for your outer skin to return?" Amanda asked.

"A couple of days, give or take," he replied.

"And that's if he stays indoors and away from the sun," Phantasmo said. "Ghostfreak is going to have to be careful for the next couple of days."

Amanda smiled. "Well, maybe we could grab some cuddle time then, my love?" She suggested, giving him a loving look.

Ghostfreak blushed at that and Mimi giggled before running back to her aunt and grandfather. "Grandpa, will you tell me a story about Daddy?" She asked.

"Of course, little one," Phantasmo said, scooping up his granddaughter and heading downstairs for the living room. Rachel followed, closing the bedroom door softly behind her.

Amanda and Ghostfreak looked at each other and the young woman smiled. "Love you, handsome," she said, kissing him again.

He smiled. "I love you too, beautiful," he said, kissing her back, feeling lucky to have someone who loved him deeper than skin.

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**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


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